About six months ago, Snap, the company behind the popular app Snapchat, rolled out their fifth-generation Spectacles AR glasses. Now, they’re enhancing these glasses with a suite of new features aimed at enriching geo-located AR experiences.
Although released in September 2024, these Spectacles are still primarily a developer’s toolkit, offering just 45 minutes of battery life on their own. However, Snap stands out as one of the few companies keenly engaging developers to create the kind of staple content that could someday populate consumer AR glasses intended for all-day use.
While we’re not at that all-day capability just yet, there’s exciting news: developers can now build Lenses—essentially apps—that integrate data from various geo-services like GPS, GNSS, compass heading, and even user-defined custom locations. This effectively opens up new possibilities for crafting outdoor AR applications.
Snap is already showcasing a few impressive Lenses that make use of this integration. Among them is Utopia Labs’ NavigatAR, which uses Snap Map Tiles to guide users, and Path Pioneer, an app that lets people create AR walking courses.
This geo-location data proved instrumental for Niantic’s Peridot Beyond, an AR pet simulator crafted specifically for the Spectacles. A recent update has enhanced it further, allowing the connection between Spectacles and the mobile version of Peridot, so progress isn’t lost when moving between devices.
In a similar vein, Snap’s collaboration with Wabisabi introduced their machine learning model, SnapML, to Doggo Quest—a gamified AR app designed for dog walking. Now, users can overlay digital effects as the app tracks metrics like routes and step counts for their furry friends.
Today’s update also brings along several platform features, such as leaderboards that can be easily added to Lenses and an AR keyboard for hand-tracked text inputs, as well as an improved ability to open Lens links right from messaging threads.
The update further introduces three hand-tracking capabilities: a phone detector to spot when users have their phone in hand, the ability to recognize a grab gesture, and enhancements to reduce false positives while typing.
Adding another layer of excitement, Snap is launching a ‘Spectacles Community Challenges’ starting April 1st. Here, teams can win cash prizes by submitting new or updated Lenses, judged based on engagement, technical skill, and quality. Each month, Snap plans to award over $20,000 across categories, rewarding the top five new Lenses, updated Lenses, and an outstanding open-source Lens.
Snap is also making moves to broaden Spectacles’ appeal beyond just developers. In January, the company decided to make the fifth-gen device more affordable for students and teachers. Now, they cost $594 for a year of subscription-free access, followed by a $49.50 monthly fee for ongoing use.
Overall, Snap is cleverly positioning Spectacles at the crossroads of cutting-edge tech and accessibility, making sure they’re not just a novelty, but a practical tool for education and innovation in the world of AR.
